Exhale

When diagnosed with a lung condition such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or pulmonary fibrosis, having clean air is important for healthy living. Let’s take a look at how you can have cleaner air in 5 easy steps.

What’s in the Air Indoors?

Outdoor pollution typically comes to mind when thinking about air quality. However, did you know that the air in your home could actually be more polluted than the air outdoors? Keeping a high air quality in your home can help support your lungs, reducing your risk of flare-ups and helping you to breathe more easily.

Dangerous chemicals can come in the form of cleaning supplies or paint products. It is important to be especially mindful of dangerous chemicals, because while sometimes they have odors that our bodies can detect, sometimes they don’t.

Review your Toiletries and Cleaning Supplies

Believe it or not, scented soaps, hairsprays, perfumes and cosmetics can be enough to cause a COPD flare-up. Review the products that you and any other household members are using, and take note of how you feel when you’re around those products. Sometimes, we get so used to flare-ups caused by common household products that we don’t even realize that we’re experiencing symptoms. Practice being mindful of how household products, such as toiletries and cleaning supplies, make you feel and affect your breathing.

Natural and odorless products, and those designed for sensitive skin, are typically a great alternative. Once you have gone through your personal items, switch out what you can for more natural options.

Remove Clutter

Knick knacks, decorations and curtains, while nice to look at, are also great for collecting dust, irritants and allergens that are not good for your lungs. Go room by room and decide which dust collectors you can get rid of. If you’re able to, consider donating them to a local Goodwill or similar store. Oftentimes, helping lift others can take the focus off of our problems and remind us of the things that we are fortunate to have. An attitude of gratitude can be transformative.

Additionally, the art of decluttering can be mentally satisfying as well. Most importantly, however, is the fact that you will be removing places for dust to hide in your home, making your home’s air cleaner and more breathable in the process.

Dust and Vacuum

Once you have eliminated the clutter from your home, go through and give everything a thorough cleaning. Three things you can do that will have a big, immediate impact are dusting, vacuuming and washing your sheets. It might help to keep a weekly cleaning schedule to ensure that you stay ahead of the dust bunnies.

Because chemicals can be harmful for your lungs, opt for “green” or natural chemicals, which are less likely to cause symptom flare-ups. Keeping a clean home is an important step in maintaining cleaner air indoors.

Invest in an Air Purifier for Cleaner Air

Air purifiers filter out air particles, producing cleaner air. We recommend a HEPA purifier, which filters ultrafine particles, as opposed to non-HEPA filters, which don’t always catch small particles. Removing small particles from the air means you aren’t breathing them into your lungs. An air purifier can be a game changer in your quest for a cleaner home.

Open your Windows – Sometimes

Opening your windows can help ventilate the air in your home, allowing fresh air to flow freely throughout your home. However, be mindful of the pollen levels based on the time of year. The last thing you want to do is open the floodgates, allowing an overload of pollen into your home. After checking the local pollen count, consider opening your windows for a few hours to take advantage of the fresh, outdoor air. You can check the air quality report for your local area at Air Now.

We hope that you find these tips for cleaner air in 5 easy steps to be helpful. How else do you keep clean air in your home? Please share your comments below.

If you are still experiencing symptoms and would like to try an innovative treatment that has helped many patients with COPD, pulmonary fibrosis and other lung conditions, cellular therapy from the Lung Institute may be a great choice. Contact us today to learn more.

* Every patient is given a Patient Satisfaction Survey shortly after treatment. Responses to the 11-question survey are aggregated to determine patient satisfaction with the delivery of treatment.

^ Quality of Life Survey data measured the patient’s self-assessed quality of life and measurable quality of improvement at three months of COPD patients.

All claims made regarding the efficacy of Lung Institute's treatments as they pertain to pulmonary conditions are based solely on anecdotal support collected by Lung Institute. Individual conditions, treatment and outcomes may vary and are not necessarily indicative of future results. Testimonial participation is voluntary. Lung Institute does not pay for or script patient testimonials.

As required by Texas state law, the Lung Institute Dallas Clinic has received Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval from MaGil IRB, now Chesapeake IRB, which is fully accredited by the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Program (AAHRPP), for research protocols and procedures. The Lung Institute has implemented these IRB approved standards at all of its clinics nationwide. Approval indicates that we follow rigorous standards for ethics, quality, and protections for human research.

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The Lung Institute takes patient privacy seriously. The law requires that our healthcare facilities and medical personnel protect the privacy of your medical record and other health information We are also required to notify you of our privacy practices with regard to your Protected Health Information. This Privacy & Security Notice explains how your medical information is protected under HIPAA and HITECH laws and how your information may be used, disclosed, and accessed.

Internet Privacy Disclosure

The Information We Collect: The Lung Institute collects information by various methods including information actively provided by its lead providers, customers and information arising from customer surveys and general feedback. The types of personal information we collect include name, contact information, identification information, credit information and other data types as appropriate. Credit card information is used for billing purposes only.

We may record calls to or from our patient coordinators/customer service representatives for purposes of accuracy, performance reviews, training and general quality assurance.

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Who We Share This Information With: The Lung Institute does not share personal information with any third parties except as disclosed in this policy. The Lung Institute may provide personal information to the Lung Institute's subcontractors and professional advisers (which shall be bound by privacy obligations) to assist the Lung Institute's uses disclosed herein.
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General:The Lung Institute may amend this policy from time to time. If such amendments affect how the Lung Institute uses or discloses personal information already held by the Lung Institute in a material way, the Lung Institute will obtain consent.

Notwithstanding the general terms of this policy, the collection, use, and disclosure of personal information may be made outside of the terms herein to the extent provided for in any applicable privacy or other legislation in effect from time to time.
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